Residents across Caerphilly County Borough are being urged to have their say on council services by taking part in a major survey.
Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Household Survey is carried out every two years and the feedback from local people is key to help shape the way services are delivered in the future.
“The ‘Household Survey’ determines levels of satisfaction with council services, as well as establishing current views on broader issues such as crime and antisocial behaviour and general perceptions about the communities where we live and work,” said Cllr Dave Poole, leader of council.
“Also, as the council faces significant financial challenges over the next few years, it is vital that we engage with residents to explore how we will need to do things differently in the face of decreasing budgets and tough savings targets. It’s really important that as many people as possible take part in the survey and have their say,” he added.
The Household Survey will be rolled out throughout September and residents within the Caerphilly County Borough can take part in a number of ways.
The full survey can be completed and submitted online at www.caerphilly.gov.uk and a printed version will also be included in the September edition of council newsletter ‘Newsline’ which will be delivered to every home in the county borough this month.
All those who complete the survey can be in with the chance of winning £250 as part of a special prize draw.
Its worth filling in, nothing may alter but at least you can air your views, be they positive or negative, on the services provided by the council. They have included little boxes where you can give your opinion, which is a lot more worthwhile than a box ticking exercise.
This is a chance for all residents to have their say – I agree that nothing may alter.
But if residents don’t complete the survey then its no good moaning about things afterwards.
I see on the council website that Councillor Poole now admits that he can no longer protect frontline services and that the public will notice cuts over the next 2 years and possibly beyond as services and staff are cut.
He also says next year alone, the council will have to find savings of £9 million
It was bound to happen – you can only con the public for so long.
Lets hope he makes the right cuts in the right, i can think of a few services that needs to be cut. A few of these services are costing the public thousands for very little work.
Big ones that cost money for no benefit are senior officers, both working and the ones on a long holiday, plus street wardens.
I couldnt agree more Richard we could easliy cut the higher officers. Nowadays we tend to cut from the bottom up. Instead of from the top down. These senior officers are on a lot of money for very little work. As for the street wardens this department needs to go, a total waste of money if you ask me. I bet just by axing a majority of senior officers and street wardens we would make big savings.
I saw a programme a while back – where a Professor from one of the universities did a study on Blaenau Gwent council.
It turned out that in the vehicle maintenance workshop there was 10 fitters and 4 managers – thats around 2 and a half managers to each fitter !!!
If that practice is the same in all councils its a farce.
Each department should have 1 manager and 1 deputy manager.
( When I was a club doorman we had 1 manager ).
Stop the nepotism and the jobs for the boys.
I totally agree about the senior officers -and from checking on the internet the majority of councils do not employ street wardens and surely patrolling the streets is a job for the police ?
Out of the 5 councils in Gwent only Caerphilly and Newport employ street wardens – Monmouth;Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen manage without them – they are an unnecessary luxury that we do not need in these times of cutbacks.
With the police looking to hand parking powers to the council why on earth are we wasting council staff patrolling the streets ?
The shocking waste of public money must be addressed when the forthcoming cuts are considered.
I agree John, i didnt realise that caerphilly and Newport were the only 2 authorities that employ wardens. As you say in these times of cut backs surely this department should go. As far as i can see they are a total waste of money. I havent seen them around the estate in ages, have they been axed all ready? If not we are paying for a service thats not being used. I also seen that programme, the professer was brilliant and it should departments can be cut back with managers and still operate effectively.
I filled mine and posted it, lets hope everyone does the same. I cant see the council listening mind, but we have to try and if we shout loud enough we will be heard. I would like a questionaire to have a say of what services needs to be cut.
Filling in your survey is one thing, but getting the council to actually listen is another !
I remember filling in one of these surveys a few years ago when the council stated that events would need to be cut to save money ( I think that it was somewhere in the region of 94 % of those surveyed supported cutting events to safeguard jobs and services – but I haven’t seen any evidence of events being cut ! )
These surveys are just a PR stunt to get people to believe that their views are being taken into account.
This really makes me laugh.
I think some of the department heads at Caerphilly council are really paid to much for what work is done.
Why are not some of the workers on the standard wage the council waste a lot of money on employment within the council forgot it’s a job for life.
Then why are we paying for local community councillors who in turn don’t do anything or never to be Seen Untill a election.
Waste of money employing them.
See if they still do the work for less money.
I agree with much you say but remember that community councillors do not get paid and anything they do is free.
Thanks for your reply.
But I agree that community councillors are not paid a formal salary but are given allowances to compensate them for their time spent in council business???? The amount varies form a few thousand pounds up to and over 20.000 pounds.
But one thinks why claim for the amount when I was lead to believe one did it for the love of the community.
Money could be spent on better things in the community.
Looking at what councils clam is shocking.
No, there is no cpmpensation for time spent on council business for a community councillor. I was one for five years and, coincidentally, both my brothers are councillors in the towns they live in. None of us have received so much as a penny.
I used to spend hours visiting people who had a council related problem, writing letters on their behalf and, of course, attending monthly meetings. There never was any money in it for me, not even the cost of postage stamps.
There is another type of councillor, borough councillor, and they do receive salary and expenses.
Please look at the Councillor Salaries 2016-2017 they are paid and claim compensation
Richard thanks again for your comments.
We talking here about Caerphilly council better way to spend our hard earned money a councillor is a councillor and they draw a wage and expenses not sure what you where in the community or what your brothers are but all labour and Conservative and plaid receive a salary so please don’t try and mask over a community council us a voluntary organisation run by local residents.
Jack, community councils are run by unpaid councillors, I sat in Caerffili Town Council from 2012 and never received a penny. One brother is currently Town Mayor of Crickhowell, receives no pay but does perform tasks as groundsman on council property from time to time, also unpaid.
As for Caerphilly you can verify that nobody gets paid by either logging into the town council website or e-mailing the Town Clerk. All minutes and financial accounts are on the website from the time this was set up, 2013 I believe. The clerk can provide copies of accounts from the time the council was set up, they are in the public domain.
Town and Community councils are voluntary organisations, at least around here. Borough councillors are paid, approximately £13,500 per annum. Cabinet members receive more but none of them get anywhere near the salaries of the top council officers. It is there that money is wasted.
Caerphilly councillors are paid the amount plus expenses and probably all councillors are throughout Wales and really for what
town councils well that is voluntary I never dispute that.
Lots of head of departments at the council are paid a lot of money again for what.
Too true, I would not pay some borugh councillors rusty washers, let alone money, however, councillors can be voted out by us and their salaries are not huge.
For me the real scandal is the amount paid to officers, Not only do they command higher salaries than their equivalents in manufacturing and retail but they also enjoy much better working conditions, pensions and holidays. I can extend this argument to education and the NHS where a considerable number of people are overpaid.
The banking sector is even worse but used to argue that it was private enterprise.This argument fell apart in 2008 when hundres of billions, of our hard earned wages, were spent propping up failed banking businesses. The top employees, who caused the crash through incompetence are still in place.